France can take a man in a vegetative state off life support after a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. <br /><br /> In a legal battle that has split his family apart, thirty-eight-year-old Vincent Lambert’s parents had launched an appeal, against the wishes of his wife.<br /><br /> But the decision upholds a ruling by France’s highest legal body to<br />permit doctors to take him off life support, also known as passive euthanasia.<br /><br /> Mr. Lambert’s wife, Rachel said it was “no relief and no joy”. She added that “one of Vincent’s half sisters would like his wishes to be respected.”<br /><br /> The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights cannot be appealed. <br /><br /> The case has sparked fierce debate in France where euthanasia is illegal, but doctors are allowed to withdraw medical care.<br /><br /> The decision to stop intravenously feeding Vincent Lambert has dragged on since he fell in to a coma following a car accident in 2008.
